Importance of ‘Minute of Meeting’

Analysts predict that the latest inventions in product management will significantly influence how we use our new technology and different ways to do things. For example, there is a major change in software project management these days. New methodologies emerge in the market for which it allows us to handle the complex issues and modifications so easily as compared to traditional methodologies.

So if we talk about new software development methodologies like Agile, lots of new technique comes into the picture. One of them is client interaction / communication on the daily basis. Scrum call is one of the most important steps in agile, where we have to interact with the whole team and client on daily basis for updates. So if you interact with the client over the phone call on a daily basis then most of the important discussion and key action items happen on call only instead of email. For tracking or monitoring such discussion there is a document which is called ‘Minute of Meeting’.

There is a number of format for Minute of a meeting, its depend on the origination which one they would prefer but the purpose will remain the same to track an important discussion, key action item with who's accountable for what and who was present at a meeting.

Preferably any minutes should reach the group within 24hrs hours of the end of the meeting. And it is necessary to have a place where each version of MOM is saved for future reference.

Why is it important to have Minutes?

Minutes are important for both who was at the meeting and who miss the meeting. Memories are unreliable so it is very useful to have a written record of the meeting, including actions and decisions. The minutes are a good reference for attendees refresh memories.

What tasks are involved in taking minutes?

Normally before of the meeting, one of the attendees is designated as the minute taker. The minute taker generally completes the following tasks:

• Note down the name of attendees
• Taking notes for discussion and action items
• Prepare minute as per company format
• Distributing the minutes to all relevant people

What should write down in minutes?

While taking minute we should note the following:

• Name of attendees
• Agenda
• Who discussed what?
• Key points in every discussed topics 
• What are the key action items from whom

It is not possible to write everything down, so don’t try just note all the key points with respective names.

Tips for Taking Minutes

Taking minutes is easier in well-managed meetings than in unstructured meetings,

Here are few tips for good minutes

• Ask for clarification after meeting to respective person if you miss something
• Ask for help from other attendees if you are also participating in the meeting and have forgotten to take notes
• Prepare a draft version before a meeting which will help to take notes easily
• Use the past tense, the minutes are distributed after the meeting
• Before sending minutes cross check name of attendees, target dates if any and accountable person name for the respective task.

Conclusion

Keeping good records is a good way to lead any project as the minutes are an important tool for fulfilling this duty. Minutes primarily serve as a tool for helping manager remember what the team decided at previous meetings, and secondarily as a way to keep our co-op’s members informed about the actions of their management.

About Author:
Niraj Patil is a consultant in Systems Plus Pvt. Ltd. Within Systems Plus, he actively contributes to the areas of Technology and Information Security. He can be contacted at: niraj.patil@spluspl.com